Property sales in November: the curve is rising up

Turkey's Institute of Statistics presented a monthly report on real estate sales. October trend continued in November. Comparing with 11 months of 2015, the growth rate became 25.1%. And 132 655 houses were sold which is 2% more than in October. As for geography of sales, Istanbul as always has the leading position (17%) and it is followed by Ankara (11.5%), the third top destination in November became Izmir with 5.9% of sales.

Although banks offer rather affordable mortgages, only 36.9% of property buyers preferred to use them. However, comparing with the previous year's November, this indicator showed a great increase of 71.4%.

Property sales in the primary and secondary housing market showed probably the same rates. So secondary housing is still more popular. 52.3 houses were sold in this sector.

Foreigners became more active. 1 773 homes were purchased by foreigners in November. Comparing with October this indicator increased by 14% and 16.3% comparing with previous November. Istanbul became the most popular province among foreigners. A third of purchases (596 homes) were made here. And Antalya became the second popular destination. 409 people preferred to buy an apartment in Turkey on the Mediterranean coast. Aydin and Bursa are provinces where more than a hundred homes were sold (113 and 111 respectively).

People from Arab countries and Russia still show a great interest in Turkish property. The top-5 of countries with the most active buyers includes Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Afghanistan.

Turkish Eurasia connects the continents

This is what was said by Binali Yıldırım at the Eurasia Tunnel opening ceremony which was also attended by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the speaker of Parliament İsmail Kahraman.

Another underwater project was opened in Istanbul on 20 December. The first one is the Marmaray tunnel, an undersea rail transport tunnel, which started functioning in 2015. The new Eurasia project has been designed for motor vehicles. Thanks to the tunnel, the trip time will be reduced up to more than an hour. The tunnel capacity is expected to be 100-130 thousand vehicles per day. However, tolls are $4 for automobiles and $6 for minibuses, it is expected that the tunnel will help unclog overcrowded city roads and solve the problem of traffic jams.

The project is well thought out. It has transport interchanges, flyovers, and pedestrian crossings. The emergency evacuation and information system together with fireproof and non-inflammable materials capable of withstanding earthquakes of magnitude 9 ensure the tunnel security. Even if you prefer to rent an apartment in Alanya for your holidays, it is worth visiting Istanbul and trying the new tunnel.

Camel fights: a reason to visit Turkey in January

Camel fights take place in Turkey for more than 200 years. Despite its long history, this entertainment is still very popular and attracts lots of people. In 2017 the fights will take place on 18 January in Selçuk. There won't be any problems with accommodation: you can always rent housing by the sea.

Winter was not chosen by chance. This is the mating period for camels and that is why they are very aggressive. The festival runs for several days. On the first day the camel parade is held before the fights. They are usually richly decorated and guarded across the city so everyone can enjoy the parade. The next day fights take place. Tens of thousands of people including locals and tourists attend the fights. Each fights lasts for 10-15 minutes. A camel can participate only in one fight per day. Winners are awarded with carpets and leave the fight field.

Why Europeans prefer to spend holidays renting housing in Turkey

Turkey is a popular holiday destination among a lot of foreigners: vacations in this country are simply magnificent. However, they prefer different types of accommodation. Russians usually book hotels with all-inclusive system because it is very convenient as you do not have to bother about meals or anything else. Europeans, on the contrary, try to rent a house or apartment by the sea for their holidays. And there are several reasons for that.

It allows you to save money, especially, if you are going to spend long holidays with your family or friends. The place you choose for your vacation is also important. Housing in Alanya and Antalya is 25-30% cheaper than in Belek or Fethiye. The proximity to the sea also affects rental price, so you can choose different options.

Organizing your vacation on your own gives you more freedom. You will have a large area rather than in a hotel, you can freely visit different places, try new dishes, without limiting yourself in time as you do not depend on anything or anybody but yourself.

This option is really worth considering, besides, it has certain advantages over hotels and real estate agencies will ensure you absolute security of a deal.

From Istanbul to Sochi — new route from Russia's Ministry of Transport

The development of new routes including air and sea routes as well was discussed during the meeting of the Russian and Turkish carriers.

The Russian Ministry of Transport has already begun to develop a new route from Russia to Turkey. Victor Olerskiy, Deputy Minister of Transport, expressed his hope that the implementation of the project would be possible next year. The Ministry is planning to launch a 7-day route from Sochi to the Crimea and then to Istanbul. They plan to purchase 4-5 cruise liners with capacity of 1000 passengers.

The additional route connecting the two countries is designed to attract tourists to Russia and Turkey.